


people watching

by nebulastucky



Series: codas [4]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode: s13e22 Exodus, Established Relationship, M/M, People Watching, Post-Episode: s13e22 Exodus, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-06 19:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14655027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nebulastucky/pseuds/nebulastucky
Summary: “Is it weird to miss someone you've never met?” Charlie asks, when he's done. “Is it weirder if it's yourself?”“It's only weird if you're being told about her by a stranger from another dimension,” Dean says.





	people watching

Everyone's talking.

For once in their damn lives, everyone's alive and talking to each other. Sure, some of the party - most of the party - is from another dimension where none of the rest of them even exist, and Dean's kind of starting to regret offering  _ every single one of them  _ a drink - but at least they're here. They're safe. For now anyway, until the next big bad comes along.

It's crazy, though, to think about any of this, even as a concept. The underground bunker they inherited from a secret society of monster hunters is basically full for the first time in decades, only it's full of people from another dimension wearing the faces of the people Dean loves most in the world.

And a witch destined to be killed by his brother. And an Englishman with a deathwish, judging by the rate he's slugging that whiskey back. And the half-angel spawn of Satan drunk off half a beer.

But Dean figures his life is already weird enough, so this might as well happen too.

All this runs through his head as he watches, alone but for once not lonely, from the top of the stairs over the war room. His glass has been empty for half an hour now, but he sees Bobby eyeing the bottle and decides he probably needs it more.

So he sits, and he watches.

Sam is talking to Rowena, of all people, about God knows what. They probably owe her now, for holding the door open. It's a little bit her fault Lucifer even made it through, so Dean's not inclined to give her much, but she didn't have to stay. She could’ve left - and Dean would put money on her considering it - but she didn't. So maybe they do owe her. Just a little.

Mary - Mom, that's his _Mom,_ alive and safe \- is just sort of floating between groups of Apocalypse refugees. They're her people more than they're Dean’s or Sam's.

She's got a smile on her face, though, and Dean hasn't seen that for a while.

His eyes land on Cas, talking to Jack, and stick. He looks tired, down to his bones. There's a slant to his shoulders that matches the concern on his face, and Dean just  _ aches.  _ He tries to brush it off, but it won't budge, not until Cas puts a hand on Jack’s shoulder and cracks the smallest smile.

Cas relaxes, visibly, and Dean lets himself take a breath.

Then he turns, and catches Dean looking, and that smile gets a little bigger, a little warmer. Dean lets himself feel it right to his core, lets it soothe the ever-present knot in his stomach just a bit.

“You need a refill?”

Dean turns, and there she is. Charlie, but not really. Not his. He'll have to get used to that.

He raises his glass to her bottle of bourbon, and she pours it just like Sam does - tidy, but like the glass is about a third bigger than it really is. She sits with him then, lets her legs dangle.

“Tell me about her,” she says. “The Charlie you knew.”

So Dean tells her. He tells her everything: Dick Roman, Dorothy and Oz, the Book of the Damned. The little things, too - watching Game of Thrones, and Moondoor, and when she came back from Oz with her hair cut and it was weird.

He tells her about every time she saved his life, every time she made him smile, every night he spent on the phone with her talking about feelings he didn't know he had but she somehow got out of him.

“Is it weird to miss someone you've never met?” Charlie asks, when he's done. “Is it weirder if it's yourself?”

“It's only weird if you're being told about her by a stranger from another dimension,” Dean says. “God, it's fucking weird.”

She rests her head on his shoulder, and they watch the party die down. They watch Sam herd people toward spare rooms, Bobby skulk off with a bottle of Jack under his arm, Ketch act like he's not sad to see it go.

But mostly, Dean watches Cas. He watches Cas clean up empty bottles of beer and pretend he doesn't notice the eyes on him.

“It's hard to believe your Castiel is even an angel,” Charlie says. “He's almost friendly.”

“He killed yours,” Dean says. He knows he'll have to talk to Cas about that. That's gotta fuck up a guy's head, no matter the trauma he's already been through.

“I should thank him,” Charlie says. “That guy was a jackass.”

“Here's your chance,” he whispers, because Cas has stopped cleaning and is now climbing the stairs to join them.

Every day, there's a moment where Dean has to physically stop himself from breaking down at the sight of Cas, alive and - mostly - well. Cas drops down on Dean's other side, and looks at him like that, and this is that moment.

“Sam wanted me to let you know I’m in your room tonight, since he's rented the rest,” Cas says. “And I wanted to let you know I'm turning in.”

He says it with a quiet smile on his lips, and it's more than a little infectious.

“I'll follow you in a bit,” Dean says. Cas stands, and Dean leans into the hand Cas rests on his shoulder.

“I look forward to it.”

He leaves then, and Charlie sits with a smug look on her face that almost makes Dean forget she's not the Charlie he knew.

“You didn't say it,” Dean says, his head a little fuzzy.

“I didn't want to intrude,” she tells him. She shoves him into a standing position then, and tells him, “Go get your man.”

So he goes.

**Author's Note:**

> 13x22 just left me w a lot of feelings idk
> 
>  
> 
> im @rogersbuck on tumblr and @nebulastucky on twitter come talk to me


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